No Body Is Perfect

By Molly M., Norfolk, VA

Image Credit: Jennifer B., Larchmont, NY

I walked down the aisles looking for a pattern in my favorite clothing store. Just my luck, they had the cutest shorts – but only in sizes 0, 1, 3, 7, and 9. I wear a 13. Annoyed and devastated I walked out thinking, I’m just too fat.

The next week, at my grandmother’s house for the traditional spaghetti dinner, my cousin and his girlfriend, Ivy, joined us. We had a delicious dinner. Afterward, the women sat around talking about dieting and their weight and whatnot. My aunt complimented Ivy on how skinny she looked for weighing 120 pounds. My aunt said that she needed to go on a diet because she weighed almost 140 pounds. This comment kind of hurt me because I weigh almost 160 pounds. So I said, “I probably need to go on a diet too,” but I said this softly so, hopefully, they wouldn’t hear me.

Ivy, however, was sitting right next to me and heard what I said. She took me into the other room with her, and we sat on the bed. “When I was in my senior year of high school, I weighed 140 pounds,” she said. “I felt so insecure. I couldn’t imagine any guys would want to be with me because of how fat I was. I tried eating less, dieting, exercise, but nothing seemed to work. That was when I realized that no body is perfect. No anorexically skinny girl will ever be skinny enough for society to say that her body is ‘perfect,’ because then she would be considered ‘unhealthy.’”

I thought a lot about this for the next few days and realized that no one had ever called me fat, except when my mom was joking with me. So why was I so caught up with how much I weighed? Why was I so consumed by a number that does nothing but mock you? This number labels and classifies you and tells you “You can’t fit into those jeans because you’re 160 pounds. You can’t go out with him because you’re 160 pounds. No one will want to hang out with you because you’re 160 pounds” over and over.

I decided that I wasn’t going to let my weight rule my life. I wasn’t going to let it decide what I should and should not wear. At that point I realized that I, too, believe that no body is perfect, that no girl can be skinny enough, and that all those people who tell you the “anorexic look” is in are probably so uncomfortable with their own weight that they have to make other people self-conscious just to make themselves feel better.

So, anytime I start to feel self-conscious about my weight, I think to myself, Anorexia? I think not.

Great article. That is great advise, never let others determine how much you should weigh. Your body is not their body and how boring if we all looked the same! Check out www.program-for-diet.net for even more information.

I was always made fun of for being "chubby" in elementary school. I took it out on myself and became anorexic. Looking back on myself, I should have not gotten to a dangerously low number; numbers and sizes don't matter, it's how you feel that does. I learned the hard way. Your article is an inspiration :)

Even if yours isn't perfect, or mine, or an anorexicly (sp?) skinny girl, their are definatly (sp?) some people that come pretty close. I think what is important to keep in mind is that those people might have a "better" body then you but you can write! and they have some weeknesses. I think nobodys perfect but idk if no body is perfect

well u knoh dhats kindaa wronq, im sorry tu say but big people can do as much as skinny people. yoou know im not the skinnest and im not the biggest but guess what i love me, i do cheerleading play sports and everything so just kuz your not a size 0 doesnt meen anything

saying u dont like fat people is likes aying you dont like jews or blacks...get over youself. Most people dont want to be fat. its not a choice realy. you can fix it, but some people just are not capable of it physicaly. Grow up please. Everyone is PERFECT!

ifyourfatyouruglyreplied...Apr. 15, 2011 at 1:08 pm

i agree with nofattys

NoFatPeople!!!replied...Apr. 16, 2011 at 1:21 am

I agree with nofattys. I do not accept them as people they are FAT BLOBS also known as aliens! I thought it was funny when her mom called her fat.

get real girl. 101.replied...Apr. 26, 2011 at 11:16 am

seriously. you are sick. if you think that over weight/ big people should be band from socity then you your self need to be kicked out. you are close minded jerks that dont know what there talking about and need some serious help.

Just so you know not all people are fat because they eat a lot there are other that are sick and that makes them gain weight. and even if they are fat because they eat a lot i bet they can do more things than you can.. just because someones fat doesnt mean theyre a looser, or just because someones skinny doesnt make them healthy or strong